Okay, so I’ve been on this cheese kick lately, especially aged Gouda. It’s got that amazing nutty, caramel-y thing going on. I wanted to find some new ways to use it, beyond just snacking on it with crackers (though, let’s be honest, that’s pretty great too). So, I went down an “aged Gouda recipes” rabbit hole, and here’s what I cooked up – literally!
First Attempt: Gouda and Apple Grilled Cheese
My first thought was, “Gouda goes great with apples, so why not put them together in a grilled cheese?” Seemed simple enough. I grabbed some sourdough bread, because it gets nice and crispy. Then I sliced up some aged Gouda – not too thin, not too thick, just right. I also thinly sliced a Honeycrisp apple (my favorite for this kind of thing).
I buttered one side of each slice of bread, then flipped them over in the pan. On one slice, I layered the Gouda, then the apple slices, and then a little more Gouda. I topped it with the other slice of bread (butter-side up, obviously) and pressed it down a bit with a spatula.
I cooked it over medium heat, flipping it once, until the bread was golden brown and the cheese was all melty and gooey. It took maybe 5-7 minutes total. And…it was AMAZING. The sweetness of the apple, the salty-nuttiness of the Gouda, the crispy bread…perfection!
Next Up: Creamy Gouda and Spinach Pasta
I wanted something a little heartier, so I decided to try a pasta dish. I boiled some pasta – I used rotini because it holds sauce well. While that was cooking, I melted some butter in a pan and sautéed some chopped onion and garlic until they were soft.
Then, I added a bunch of fresh spinach and cooked it until it wilted down. I stirred in some heavy cream and let it simmer for a few minutes. The key part: I shredded a good amount of aged Gouda and stirred it into the sauce until it was melted and smooth. Seasoned it with some salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg.
Finally, I drained the pasta and added it to the sauce, tossing everything together until it was well coated. I served it with a little extra shredded Gouda on top. This was super rich and flavorful. The Gouda gave the sauce such a deep, complex flavor. Definitely a winner!
Experimenting with Gouda Stuffed Potatoes.
- Get some big potatos.
- Wash it and Poke some holes with a fork.
- Baked it for 1 hour.
- Prepare some ingredients, Gouda cheese, bacon, broccoli…
- Open the potato, pull some potatos out.
- Mix the Gouda cheese, bacon and broccoli all together with some potatos.
- Stuff them back into the potato skin.
- Top it with some gouda.
- Put it back in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
The flavor is good, aged gouda give the normal baked potatos a little different flavor.
So, those are my aged Gouda adventures so far. I’m definitely going to keep experimenting. Maybe a Gouda and caramelized onion tart next? Or Gouda mashed potatoes? The possibilities are endless!
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